THE CIVIL WAR ended 148 years ago, but Civil War re-enactment is an industry.

Hobbyists can spend thousands on uniforms, equipment and firearms. David Vickers of Sinton and his daughter, Emma, can attest to that.

Late last month they were among 20,000 who journeyed to the fields of Pennsylvania again to fight the battle of Gettysburg. “In my mind, the Civil War was a seminal event in American history. The argument about states rights that began then is still going on. The drama of all that fascinates us.”

Vickers tells the story of two drenched re-enactors huddled under a tent in the rain, the ground soaked, the re-enactment a little too real. One asks, “Wonder what the stamp collectors are doing tonight?”